Apparatus for elevating contact material



June 17, 1952 E. J. GRACE, JR 2,600,528

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING CONTACT MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22, 1950 Fig] .2 v v l7 NVENTOR.

I EDWARD J.GRAGE,JR.

II By K m ATTORNEYS Patented June 17, 1952 APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING CONTACT I MATERIAL Edward J. Grace, Jr., Swarthmore, Pa., assignor to Sun Oil Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application september 22, 1950, Serial No. 186,141

Claims. (01. 302-53) This invention relates to a system and apparatus for moving granular or pelleted contact material or catalyst from a lower receptacle which receives the material in a continuous stream up-' 2 a with an upper receptacle positioned at a level above the top of the upper reaction zone or chamber. The upper receptacle is designed so that the lifting medium is separated. from the catalyst wardly into and through an elongate conduit to 6 or contact material and is generally known as the an upper receptacle. In-particular the invendisengager. tion is directed to apparatus for introducing ma- The present invention is directed to the enterial in the. lower receptacle into a fluid stream gager portion of the continuous catalyst system. in order to convey the material through the elon- According to the invention a stream 'of liftinl gate conduit in such a manner as to reduce at- 10 fluid impinges upon material below the lift contrition of the material particles or pellets to a duit and conveys-such material into the lift conminimum during passage to the upper receptacle. duit while another stream of lifting fluid lifts It is well known in the art of catalytic operathe material, so conveyed, upward through the lift tions, such as the cracking of heavier petroleum conduit into the disengager. fractions to gasoline and other hydrocarbon proc- 5 A more complete understanding. of the present essing operations to use a catalytic or contact invention may be had by reference to the followmaterial in a continuous system In such coning description taken in connection with. the actinuous systems a conversion zone is operated concompanying drawings which form a part of the tinuously while a second zone operates conppli i n in Wh h tinuously in regeneration. Most commercial 2 t Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in section moving catalyst systems have the conversion for schematically showing the improved arrangezone and regeneration zone in superposed relament as applied to the typical continuous catalytic tionship with the conversion zone usually above cracking system. the regeneration zone so that the catalyst or Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation contact material moves through the conversion showin he inv n on s pp i to e e g zone to the regeneration zone by gravity and p rti n of the ata ytic rac n syst m. after regeneration it is carried upwardly and re- F gure 3 is a view taken along the line 3-3 turned to the conversion zone to repeat the cycle of Figure 2. i of operation. To return the catalyst or contact Referring to F g 1 f h drawing which material from the lower regenerating zone to cl arly shows the structural elements of the the upper conversion zone two well known y m, a lower receptacle or chamber I0 funcmeans applicable to the transportation of granutions as a cataly t engaging o that is, a n lar solids'from one locus to another have been wh r in he lyst is enga by fluid ppli used, namely: by mechanical conveyors and by hereto by means of a conduit i l extending pneumatic conveyors, in the latter of which air, Wardly into the chamber In and an upp r steam or flue gas produced at the refinery is ui ii r Supplying e lifting fluid to the readily available as the pneumatic lifting medium. pp r end of the engaging chamber for passa e It is necessary in systems employing condownwardly into the chamber. The lift conduit version and regeneration zones in superposed is indicated a l and mprises a vertical conrelationship to convey the catalyst or contact ma- 40 t v n its lower end positioned within-the terial which is usually in pelleted or granular a r 0 and its uppe d extending into an form through a conduit several hundred feet in upper chamber [4 which is known as a disengaglength in orderto return it from the lower reacin h r or Zone wh rein catalyst is disention zone to the upper reaction zone. From the gaged from the fluid which is used to lift the catalower reaction zone the material is delivered to lyst upwardlyinto the disengaging zone. The lift a receptacle positioned at a lower level from fluid is discharged from the upper chamber I which the material is lifted through said conthrough a conduit l5 and is passed to any convenduit to the upper reaction zone. This lowertional separ ing means such as a cyclone sepamost receptacle is generally known in the art as rator l6 having an upper valved conduit I! in an engager since th material is engaged therecommunication therewith to remove separated in by the lifting medium to effect the lifting operation. The lower end or inlet end of the lift conduit extends into or is in communication with the engager receptacle while the upper end fluid and lower valved conduit It! for removing any particles which had become entrained in the lifting medium.

The catalyst which remains in the disengager or outlet end of the lift conduit communicates I4 is etu ned by avi y o a uppe 'reaction generated to remove therefrom any deposits which havebeen formed in the upper chamber I9. From the lower chamber catalyst or contact material continues to flow by gravity and is returned to the engaging chamber 10. The conduits 2|, 22 and 23 through which the catalyst or contact material flows in returning from the disengager M to the engager ID are usually provided with means for supplying steam or other gaseous purging medium thereto in order to prevent reaction products formed in chamber l9 and regeneration fumes formed in chamber 20 from communicating with the other chambers in the unit.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3 a fluid medium is supplied through the conduit H which extends upwardly through the bottom of the engager l0 and has its upper open end positioned a short distance below the lower end of the lift conduit l3. The bottom of the lift conduit I3 is provided with plate having a central aperture 3| therein. Within the central aperture is positioned a short upstanding tube or nozzle 32 forming with the lift conduit l3 an annular space 33. Within the annular space 33 a ring conduit 35 is positioned and is provided with a lifting fluid supply'tube 36 having an open end exteriorly of the engager It for supplying the lifting medium thereto. The ring conduit is provided with an apertured area 31 which may take the form of apertures or a continuous annular opening.

In normal operation of a continuous cracking system catalyst will return by conduit 23 to the engager i0 continuously and will be lifted from the engager l0 upwardly into the disengager H. In order to effect the lifting or moving of the catalyst upwardly fluid from conduit II will be directed from its upper open end into the body of catalyst or contact material disposed thereabove to lift the material upwardly into the tube 32 from which it will tend to pass into the annular space 33. Air from the supply pipe 36 will through the annular conduit 35 direct a fluid stream upwardly through the annular space 33 and then into the lift conduit 13. The velocity at the lower end of the lift conduit will be relatively low until the mixture of fluid and catalyst pellets or particles fill the lift conduit l3 after which the catalyst will be lifted at a gradual increase in velocity until it enters the diseni gager II where it will separate from the stream of lifting fluid due to the reduced velocity of the stream as it enters the relatively large area of the disengager I l.

The fluid stream acting upon the material to convey it into the tube 32 need be a stream of only suflicient velocity to carry the material through the tube. in which case it is spread laterally in all directions and tends to drop into the annular space 33. As it thus overflows the tube 32, it encounters an annular stream of liquid at high velocity, such stream alone being effective to raise the material through the lift conduit l3. The stream of fluid discharged from pipe H may, however, be a relatively higher velocity stream, in which case the material may leave tube 32 in an upward stream of gradually increasing diameter and be lifted through the lift conduit by the combined action of both fluid streams. However. care should be taken that the velocity of the fluid discharged from pipe H is not so high as to cause excessive attrition of solid material during its passage through nozzle 32.

It should be understood that the present invention is not directed to usual pneumatic conveying apparatus but is concerned with the continuous movement of catalyst or contact material from the engager Ill to the disengager It in such a manner that the catalyst or contact material is raised to the disengager M with the smallest degree of frictional contact of the catalyst or contact material with itself or with the lifting apparatus.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for elevating granular material from a lower chamber containing a body of the material to an upper chamber which comprises an upright elevating conduit having its lower end extending through the top of said lower chamber to be positioned therein and its upper end extending into the upper chamber, a plate having a central aperture therein secured to the lower end of the elevating conduit, a nozzle having its lower end secured in said aperture and its upper end extending a short distance into the elevating conduit providing a space therewith, a fluid conduit extending through the bottom of the lower chamber and having its outlet end positioned below the lower end of the elevating conduit and within the body of granular material to lift the material upwardly and through said nozzle, means for supplying a fluid at high velocity to said space to convey the material passing through the nozzle upwardly into and through the elevating conduit to the upper chamber.

2. Apparatus for elevating granular material from a lower chamber containing a body of the material to an upper chamber which comprises an upright elevating conduit having its lower end extending through the top of said lower chamber to be positioned therein and its upper end extending into the upper chamber, an annular plate having a central aperture therein secured to the lower end of the elevating conduit, a nozzle having its lower end secured in said aperture and its upper end extending a short distance into the elevating conduit providing an annular space therewith, a fluid conduit extending through the bottom of the lower chamber and having its outlet end positioned below the lower end of the elevating conduit and within the body of granular material to lift the material upwardly and through said nozzle, means for supplying a. fluid at high velocity to said annular space to convey the material passing through the nozzle upwardly into and through the elevating conduit to the.

upper chamber.

3. Apparatus for elevating granular material from a lower chamber containing a body of the material to an upper chamber which comprises an upright elevating conduit having its lower end extending through the top of said lower chamber to be positioned within the body of material and its upper end extending into the upper chamber, an annular plate having a central aperture therein secured to the lower end of the elevating conduit, a nozzle having its lower end secured in said aperture and its upper end extending a short distance into the elevating conduit providing an annular space therewith, a fluid conduit extending through the bottom of the lower chamber and having its outlet end positioned below the lower end of the elevating conduit and 5 within the body of granular material to lift the material upwardly into and through said nozzle, a ring conduit positioned within said annular space, an apertured area therein, means for supplying a fluid at high velocity to the ring conduit for passage upwardly through the annular space to convey the material passing through the nozzle upwardly into and through the elevating conduit to the upper chamber.

4. Apparatus for elevating granular material from a lower chamber containing a body of the material to an upper chamber which comprises an upright elevating conduit having its lower end extending through the top of said lower chamber to be positioned therein and its upper end extending into the upper chamber, a plate having a central aperture therein secured to the lower end of the elevating conduit, a nozzle having its lower end secured in said aperture and its upper end extending a short distance into the elevating conduit providing a space therewith, a fluid conduit extending through a wall of the lower chamber and having its outlet end positioned below the lower end of the elevating conduit and within the body of granular materialto lift the material upwardly and through said nozzle, means for supplying a fluid at high velocity to said space to convey the material passing through the nozzle upwardly into and through the elevating conduit to the upper chamber.

5. Apparatus for elevating granular material from a lower chamber containing a body or the material to an upper chamber which comprises an upright elevating conduit having its lower end extending through a wall of the lower chamber and having its outlet end positioned :below the lower end of the elevating conduit and within the body of granular material to lift the material through and beyond said nozzle upwardly and laterally within the elevating conduit, means for supplying a fluid at a high velocity to said space and to therein direct it upwardly into the elevating conduit to provide a lifting force to the mate-'- rial that has been supplied as specified to the conduit through said nozzle.

EDWARD J. GRACE, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,123,537 Marr July 12, 1938 2,487,961 Angeli Nov. 15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 180,397 Great Britain May 11, 1922 

